


Other

by PurpleSunsetBlue



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Hacking, POV Multiple, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleSunsetBlue/pseuds/PurpleSunsetBlue
Summary: The reason why Ace was hacking into a government system and how his deal with McGinnis came to be.
Comments: 24
Kudos: 20





	Other

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: I have not read any Hardy Boys books nor do I have any experience with computers, coding, or hacking. Apparently, there is more than one type of server. Any mistakes made are my own. The italicized sentences are meant to be the direct thoughts of that character.

Maybe it was because he got super high the evening before, that Ace decided to actually go through with the plan. That his older brother concocted. While drunk over their video chat. 

Or maybe it was because it was actually the first time in three months that they truly talked to one another after his brother went off the deep-end and now actually had a semi-sane sounding lead to use as a launching point.

A bit of federal government hacking on a Saturday at midnight wasn’t really all that bad.

 _No really,_ he was fine. _This will be fun...just remain calm._ This morning he had wrapped up the basics of what he needed to do when he got into the server and had outlined a general plan to follow. Plus, it was awesome timing that he had taught himself about two weeks worth of JavaScript coding during his off day from The Claw.

 _The Claw_ \- last month marked his second year of working there. Washing dozens of grimy seafood plates wasn’t exactly how he pictured he’d be spending his future but it paid for community college classes and random parts for the second computer he was building.

Ace watched as a car’s harsh headlights shone and then dimmed as it passed his right-side on the pitch-black Maine Turnpike. The dense pine forest lining either side of the highway seemed mocking, their branches reaching towards him in the summer breeze to draw him back home. About twenty more minutes until he hit the bridge and crossed into Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

Usually, Ace would have given slightly more thought about venturing into another city with little plan as to modify identities and acquire new passports but he had previously been to Portsmouth with his mother. The library there held extensive World War II documents that she used to help the Historical Society bolster the town’s meager genealogy records.

Besides, he liked to believe that everything had a solution, even if it took an unknown amount of time to get there. That’s why after watching the show Serial, he had the Horseshoe Bay Public Library’s security camera footage stored so that he could sleep at night. The books and his mother were now protected. 

The library was actually where he spent most of his hours after school ended for the day hence the installation of his first big project a couple of years ago - keystroke logging software - that had led to multiple weird searches. Ace definitely wasn’t as popular as his brother had been which was partly why he dove into the world of coding. He needed something to do with his hands to fill hours of boredom and excessive energy. Hacking had sort of...popped up on his radar later on. Coding (and hacking) was like a mystery - solve the riddle by linking together missing pieces and voila! he was in.

All too soon, Ace arrived at the address. Well, almost. He had his Uber driver drop him off in the airport parking lot to ensure that the various surveillance cameras in the city couldn’t track his journey using his license plates. 

He paid his driver, Dixon, who wished him a safe trip and sped off into the night. 

Ace peered down the row of silent parked cars, jammed in his earbuds to drown out his thoughts with rock music, and set off for the half hour walk to the true destination…

_The National Passport Center._

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ace wove through the woods and heavy brush behind the center, sharp brambles nipping at his frayed sweatshirt. It was just like archery camp all over again, except he didn’t have a horse and he wasn’t being chased by a particularly volatile group of twelve-year olds.

Finally, he came upon the looming rear entrance of the building. The floodlights slashed through the night and bounced off the fresh-cut grass. Ace nearly considered climbing up the tree he was hiding on the opposite side of to get a better view but quickly found a slight blind spot he could maneuver through. 

“Okay. No turning back now,” he mumbled. He drew his grey hood up over his mop of windswept sandy hair and broke into a jog. 

As soon as he reached the sliding doors, Ace already had his Swiss Army knife out to pick the emergency lock. The doors clicked open with a gentle whoosh and he threw himself inside, trying to steady his labored breathing. Ace scuttled to rest against a tall decorative side table. He appeared to be in the secondary lobby or maybe a waiting room.

Almost done with step two. _If I can just…_

The silence was suddenly broken by an elevator ding at the end of the hallway. The security guards were making their rounds and he did not want to be around to chat with them. 

Picking himself up off the tile floor, he lunged for a metal door that read “Stairwell” and carefully closed it behind him. Taking the steps two at a time, Ace reached the fourth floor faster than lightning. Mentally cursing his burning bum knee, he skirted on the sides of the hallways, as he attempted to evade all security cameras. The most recent schematics he had found through a convoluted backchannel had highlighted the security camera placement of the floor but came up with nothing on the small server room. He’d have to get in through a regular computer.

_Room 410, Room 412, Room 414...Ah ha! Room 416!_

In his hurried research, he had discovered a work order had been filed to fix the faulty lock on the door with the locksmith scheduled to arrive in the morning. It was pure luck that the room was next to the servers. 

Heading in, after hasty contemplation about whether he should Army-crawl his way in but deciding not to, he picked a sparsely decorated desk near the back of the room and commenced the initial start-up sequences.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Five agonizing minutes later, Ace was in the system. _Step three is complete._

He scrolled until he found the H’s and then moved onto the first names. _Bingo. Frank Hardy._

With a few clicks and a bit of extensive writing, Frank became Jake Hurley and Frank’s girlfriend, Callie Shaw, became Lori Girard. Their new identities would protect them and the passports would be an extra safeguard against the nosy government officials and vindictive drug dealers currently closing in on them. 

Teetering towards the limits of his secured and hidden server, Ace had intentionally blocked the files from being sent over the Internet. Him and Frank had decided to go old-school with a flash drive and Frank would remove the modified passports data at his location with his laptop. Frank had promised him that he would send the flash drive back to Ace with whatever information he found about the case and needed help with.

He promptly inserted the black flash drive into the USB port and hit MOVE FILES.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Ace muttered, watching the loading bar inching to 100%. _This would be so much easier if his brother had him upload to the cloud. Or if the idiot had decided not to flee into a different country on such short notice._

FILES TRANSFERRED.

_Boom. Success._

Ace hit ENTER and the computer initiated its deleting sequences. As the data was processing, all he had to do was wipe off the keyboard and mouse which meant his night would practically be over. However, his momentary victory celebration of a fist pump came to an abrupt halt when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow near the door slip out of sight. He wheeled his chair slightly away from the desk, his eyes raking over the blurred outline of the door frame, trying to determine a possible cause or if it was just his imagination. Pausing, Ace gave one more cursory glance around the room.

The coast appeared to be clear. 

As if sensing his assuaged fears, the lull ruptured as a number of local and state police officers, U.S. government agents, and the security guard that Ace heard in the lobby proceeded to pour into the room that began to take shape as the lights flickered on. With their weapons drawn, all swiftly hustled towards him with their radios crackling to life. 

_This couldn’t be happening!_

“Nononononononono,” his panicked words came pouring out, “Delete, delete, delete.”

In a flash, Ace snatched the drive and frantically shoved it into his left boot. 

“Back away from the computer!” someone ordered. His last glance at the screen showed the green bar holding at 99% deleted. 

_Well this is perfect!_

He anxiously watched as police officers fanned out to other areas of the room, two steadily approaching him, led by a suited FBI agent. 

In spite of the rapidly growing mess, Ace locked eyes with the security guard who was standing apart from the horde. The guard glowered at him and twirling, what was at a second glance, Ace’s earbuds. 

_They must have slipped out of my pocket when I was in the hallway,_ he speculated.

Then he saw the real reason for his ruin right above the guard’s balding head: the lone security camera in the room, perched in the top corner, now conspicuous in the light. Ace hadn’t seen it in any of the plans.

“Put your hands up!”

“Okay,” Ace began, slowly rising from his seat, “everyone just-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish thanks to an agent who cut him off with a gun pointed at his head. It was the last thing Ace remembered before his mind went blank.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The overhead fluorescent bulbs were glaring off the white-walled interrogation room and close to giving Ace a headache. 

The door in front of him opened, letting muted voices drift in until a middle-aged police officer walked in and sat across the steel table. 

“Well this keeps getting better and better,” Officer Barclay beamed, rubbing a hand on his chin’s patchy five o’clock shadow. Ace could tell he was clearly relishing what had to have been his most exciting case in the past year. 

“The federal agents were able to get into the computer you were on and have a look. Why don’t you help me straighten out the chain of events?” The officer paused, failing at an attempt to control his smirk, hoping to elicit some type of reaction from Ace.

 _You will give them no response,_ he commanded himself. _Remember happy things - like cheeseburgers and football and your station wagon._

Except the flash drive in his shoe moved ever so slightly and he was jolted back into his harsh reality. _You erased both of their names from the computer’s history so at least they won’t be connected to this,_ Ace reflected, struggling not to spiral. _The most they can probably get me with is breaking and entering._

Barclay stood, unbothered for the first time in his long police career at the lack of a visible reaction by a suspect. Giving an almost imperceptible nod to the people on the other side of the one-way glass, he announced, “I can say to you now Mr. Joseph Hardy you will be charged with breaking and entering. The Feds will undoubtedly prosecute you on the The Electronic Communications Privacy Act and most likely The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act as well. Give it a few more minutes and we will make those charges formal. Anything you want to add?” 

The temperature in the room suddenly felt like it dropped thirty degrees cooler while the bile in Ace’s throat rose higher. _Shit._

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

_His life was over. This was the end._

Officer Barclay chuckled, practically positive he could feel the terror radiating off the kid. He had just thrown the names of the two laws out at Mr. Hardy since he heard an agent mention them to his colleague at the center when they were getting out of their car. What mattered was that this listless jerk asshole, who probably didn’t have a job and smoked weed every day, was going to spend at least ten years in federal prison.

 _That was definitely gonna get the teen to incriminate himself,_ Officer Barclay joyfully mused.

Ace forced the bile back down and swallowed. He had to save himself one way or another. What was it that he read in one of his father’s numerous law enforcement books?

“I will not speak with you, Officer, until I have spoken with my lawyer,” Ace cooly declared. 

The officer sneered. _Damn protocol and the weak attitude of Officer Riley giving out “reminders” on the way to Headquarters._ “You’re lucky that I’m even gonna give one. After what you’ve done, I would have given you zero chances. Make it worth your while kid because I can tell ya there aren’t many people who can save you from this mess.” 

It wasn’t like Ace had many options anyway. He was very much a loner - big groups of friends didn’t seem necessary when he had Frank.

He couldn’t call his one high school pal, Biff Hooper, since he was taking a vacation with his family on their boat for the month. He couldn’t call any of his hacking buddies because all four of them lived overseas in a host of countries. He couldn’t call his mother lest he risk a furious yet eloquent speech about his behavior, or worse, punishment in the form of working with library employee Dominique right after their disagreement in an upsetting flag football game. He most definitely could not call his father - the look of utter disappointment in his eyes combined with both verbal and signed lectures would wreck Ace. He could say goodbye to any and all future blissful fishing trips with his dad.

_Think, Ace, think. Dad...wait…_

_Fuck,_ he thought. _There were no other options. But would he actually rescue him or create a bigger mess? Crap - this was it._

The cop hauled him out of the room and down a white-washed brick hallway to a hanging phone.

Ace took a deep breath and steeled himself as he punched out the familiar phone number.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Typical that a call would come right as he was about to end his shift. Chief Edward McGinnis nearly pawned it off to Officer Rawley patrolling across town until he saw the odd name on his phone’s bright screen.

Pressing accept, he was only mildly surprised at hearing the robotic prison tone. Being close to the state line meant he got to know a number of cops on the force in New Hampshire. But then he heard Ace’s voice filter through the phone, quietly explaining the awful situation he was in, and everything changed.

A small part of him considered leaving Ace at the station. 

_No, he couldn’t. Not with what happened to Ace’s father and his car accident._ He owed the captain - his friend - that much.

He sighed, turning his car around to begin the journey south. Grabbing his radio, McGinnis told Rawley that he was finishing up for night, to which he received an earful from the man who was somehow able to compress three wild theories about the recent rise of theft and a “goodnight Chief” in one breath.

_The paperwork involved with tonight was going to be a nightmare. But, he mused, after what Rawley had said, maybe Ace would actually be a silving lining to the police force._

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Let’s go,” Chief McGinnis grumbled, grabbing Ace by the arm and marching him through the brightly lit police station.

Newly minted Detective Karen Hart sat at her desk, typing away on a file regarding recent vandalism at the local high school. Naturally, as a newbie, she had been placed on duty during the graveyard shift but it gave her time to delve into the shockingly bare Lucy Sable file. Hearing familiar lumbering bootsteps, she peered upwards to see the Chief with a blonde, lanky teen in cuffs - with no outward signs of physical harm - who, frankly, looked fairly serene at being brought into the police station at three in the morning.

“Chief…” she asked, stopping at the sight of his frown. 

“This is going to take awhile Karen,” he stated, ushering Ace inside his office and shutting the door.

McGinnis still hadn’t removed the metal handcuffs off of Ace and they were beginning to dig into his skin. The chief released his grip on Ace and motioned for him to sit. The ominous tone of the conversation felt set as the lamps and moonlight filtering in through the blinds cast misshapen shadows around them.

McGinnis slid into his worn leather chair as Ace was left to squirm uncomfortably in the plastic folding seat. The thick tension that enveloped the office was as heavy as the drive back to Maine, during which a moose did not randomly materialize and plough into the car, despite Ace’s fervent wishes. Ace’s occasional nervous babblings during the ride only elicited grunts from the chief. 

Frank was the logical one of them, always making sure they debated every option, instead of Ace’s method of jumping into a situation and figuring it out along the way. For the millionth time, he wished his brother was next to him.

“Ace,” McGinnis started, folding his arms across his chest, “I understand things have been...difficult... after what happened with your brother and Callie Shaw.”

_Like he needed to be reminded of it. Of the Shaw family trying to pick up the pieces and heal. Of the war zone his house had become afterwards. Of Frank bouncing between home and God-knows-where every other month or week._

Ace glanced down at the scratched oak desk in front of him, bracing himself for the inevitable “but.” The Chief had already deduced the reason behind his out-of-state escapade which meant he held Ace’s fragile fate in his rough, weathered hands.

In the back of his mind, he noted that his parents weren’t at the station when they arrived. Hopefully they would never come within a 20-mile radius of it. _How was he going to explain this all to them when McGinnis called them?_

“I’m going to offer you a deal Ace,” McGinnis drawled. 

Ace’s heart froze. 

“My buddies in Portsmouth really want you in jail but if you accept, I’ll make sure you stay out of it.”

Ace managed to look up at the police chief. McGinnis leaned forward as his half-grin betrayed the look of pure determination in his dark eyes.

 _He’s enjoying this a bit too much,_ Ace assessed. He swallowed, trying to ignore the sizable lump in his throat. _But there’s always a catch..._

“W-What do you want me to do?” 

“You are going to be doing a few things for me for a while,” McGinnis said as he moved several case folders to the side, “the first of which will be keeping your nosy eyes and ears open around town. We both realize that I and other members of the force don’t know every shady situation that occurs in Horseshoe Bay.”

Ace opened his mouth to speak to say something, _anything,_ but was silenced by a raised hand and a pointed look from the emboldened chief.

“Your little escapade showed off your wide skill set of getting sensitive information that people like to keep hidden. Just like Nancy Drew and her interference in my investigations,” the chief complained, more as an aside to himself than to Ace.

“Thank you,” Ace burst out before he could stop himself. 

“Speaking of people, this also means you are going to look into a handful of them for me,” he continued as if Ace hadn’t spoken, “However, I have yet to decide what a majority of that will entail but the annual summer holiday of the Hudson family means they are on my radar again.”

Ace really, really needed to speak or at least, try to gain partial ground in this losing battle with thousands of questions forming in his mind about the deal. On principle, he didn’t believe in having regrets but this mess was giving him second thoughts.

But then, Chief McGinnis and whatever higher beings that were out in the universe took some pity on him.

“I’ll do you the favor and not tell your dad,” he added. 

A wave of relief washed over Ace as he felt his jaw unclench and relaxed ever-so-slightly. 

After a lengthy pause, McGinnis finished, “Like I said, you do those things, both quite easy really, and you aren’t locked up for half of your life.”

“But let me set this straight,” he stated, every word low and menacing, “If you breathe a word to anyone and I mean anyone, that includes your brother, about this deal, I will personally drive you down to Portsmouth and turn you in fast enough to make your ears bleed. Understand?”

The words hung in the air. Ace was backed into a corner, nowhere to run, and limited time to process the bargain before the chief would start to affix more requirements. One crushing thought won out - _I can’t go to jail._

Somehow, he managed a nod and whispered a faint “yes.”

“Good. I’m glad we could agree. Now, give me your hands,” McGinnis demanded, contrasting the genuine, albeit brief, smile on his face that Ace hadn’t seen in forever.

 _Is he gonna chop off my hands now?_ Ace deliberated for one terrified moment. 

Only then did he see the key in the chief’s hands and the handcuffs sprung open.

“I’ll give you a call when I have your first assignment.” His statement final, McGinnis dismissed Ace and began collecting his belongings to head back home.

Ace stood, barely acknowledging Detective Hart as he stumbled out of the police station. With no car or even his bike, he was forced to walk home which gave him time to mull over his new secret life.

He’d have to wait for tempers to cool down in order to reach the concluding step in the plan - hide the flash drive behind their favorite restaurant, “THE GOLDEN PAVILION,” and send an encrypted text to Frank.

Besides, maybe there was a whisper of hope in this. It wasn’t like he was banned from being on a computer or ever hacking again which he was grateful for. He was merely at the beck and call of a mildly vindictive police chief breathing down his neck, under surveillance of New Hampshire police officers with major chips on their shoulders if he ever went into the state, and possibly federal government people who had been slighted. _Oh, great._

 _But was this all worth it? Would this get his brother out of harm’s way?_

Off in the distance, an owl hooted. Ace shook his head. _No, of course it was worth it, Frank wouldn’t hesitate to do the same._

 _Plus...this couldn’t go on forever,_ he wondered. _Right?_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you have a good day! Comments and kudos are welcome!
> 
> Notes - I know that Ace said that Chief McGinnis was the one who caught him but logistically, that would only work if Ace had like, hacked into a computer at the state capital and McGinnis was there too...at least I think so. I believe most of my research involved figuring out where exactly Horseshoe Bay in the Nancy Drew CW would be. I’ve narrowed the location down to Cape Elizabeth, Biddeford Pool, Cape Neddick, or York Harbor. The Nancy Drew: The Curse book mentions Stoneridge being close but the town doesn’t exist and I could only find a street named after it but it is near to Cape Neddick and York Harbor. My clues from the TV show was that you could see Cadillac Mountain from Nancy Drew’s house, characters are mentioned heading up north to Portland and Augusta, and the Hudson family gets to Horseshoe Bay by seaplane from Portland. Let’s just say I spent one too many hours on Google Maps that probably raised the suspicions of the FBI.
> 
> Side note: This would be a prequel to my first work “Progress” but reading it is not necessary to the understanding of either.
> 
> Every and all rights, reserves, and ownership to characters, places, books, games, objects, things, and etc. goes to their respective owners and companies.


End file.
